Who are we?

The Department of Engineering and Management (DEG) inherited the determination of Alfredo Bensaúde. Over a hundred years ago, Alfredo Bensaúde founded Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), revolutionizing the teaching of Engineering in Portugal and bringing professional activity closer to real-world needs.

His progressive ideas and those of a profession aligned with the needs of the real world are translated into Engineering and Management, which translates that connection to society and business, the basis and lever of the progress of the country and the world.

DEG was founded in 2001 as a result of the evolution of the Autonomous Section of Economics and Management. It emerges as well, as the “Engineering and Management area was considered strategic for the future of IST,” by the Resolution 05/01 of the Coordinating Committee of the Scientific Council on 21 November 2001.

Nowadays, DEG is organized in two scientific-disciplinary areas:

• Systems Engineering and Management
• Engineering and Management of Organizations

focusing on what businesses and organizations need, with a broad spectrum that covers strategy, planning, and control of an entire system, framed in the economic and market context, aiming at sustainability objectives, making our students competitive leaders and promoters of development who explore systemic thinking.

Teaching

DEG offers a wide range of undergraduate, postgraduate, master’s, and doctorate programs in specific fields of its domains of knowledge. Among the possibilities, there is the 1^st cycle Degree in Engineering and Industrial Management (LEGI), the Master’s in engineering and Industrial Management (MEGI), the Master’s in Engineering and Management of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MEGIE), the Doctoral Program in Engineering and Management (DeGest) and the Doctoral Program in Engineering and Public Policy (DEAEPP). It also has a horizontal offering, teaching organization, economy, and management skills for undergraduate students from other departments.

Many of our master students engage in mobility programs and there is even the possibility of obtaining a double degree through agreements with foreign universities. Often, there is also a large number of foreign students, mostly through mobility programs, but also others who join the master’s degree.

In a constantly changing world, DEG also focuses on lifelong training, coordinating the Specialization Program in Engineering and Management, and actively participates in many courses of Técnico+.

Research and Innovation

Research occupies a prominent place in our organization. The scientific research at DEG is conducted through two research centers: CEG-IST, the IST Center for Management Studies, and IN+, the Centre for Studies in Innovation, Technology, and Development Policies.

The Research & Development activity is expressed, besides its reporting and validation in scientific articles in international journals, in the promotion of articulation with major universities and research centers worldwide, in areas related to the domains of knowledge of DEG. Other DEG activities include the organization of national and international conferences, development of joint projects with world excellence centers, and guidance and development of externally funded projects. Notwithstanding, DEG’s R&D is also present through the dedication to conduct successfully of master’s and doctoral theses, which reveal the entrepreneurial and innovative spirit of our students.

Connection to the Society

DEG has a strong connection to the business industry through the promotion of several seminars with the participation of national and international experts. DEG’s faculty members develop consultancy activities in their respective areas of expertise.

On the other hand, as a result of the combination of the different dimensions of the DEG, there are several professional opportunities for our students, and our contribution to a competitive society, but with social responsibility.

The professionals we train can play management roles directly reporting to managers in industrial SMEs, namely at the level of general management, industrial (production and logistics), commercial, and project management. They will have the necessary skills to succeed in large economic groups with direct interests, or indirectly in the industrial area; and also in consultancy companies, or in financial companies (banks and investment companies). In addition, they may also occupy important positions at the public sector level, including regulatory agencies, entities associated with the promotion of business development, and internationalization, and scientific and technological development agencies.

What are we? We are the Present and the Future. We are an example of what Alfredo Bensaúde wished to do in Engineering in Portugal.